Hey everyone! Welcome back to A Common Kitchen this week. If you didn’t know already, I have a full time job outside of this blog and suffice it to say that this week has been really crazy for me. After nearly three years of working at my government job, I decided to make a huge career change. I am currently studying for a state exam to get my license to sell life and health insurance. Since I graduated high school three years ago, it feels daunting to study for a test, especially one that will literally decide whether or not I get a new job.

I have plenty of time to study yet I feel a deep sense of dread thinking about the test. I know that part of it is just that I am nervous for this big changes that will occur over the next three weeks but to be honest, this career change is long overdue.

When studying, I learn the best when I read the materials and write them down and there will be a lot of note taking over the next three weeks…

I plan on keeping up with the blog and posting my recipes on the scheduled Friday but as you can see, I missed that deadline this week. I didn’t expect things to move so quickly with this new job and I just got overwhelmed. Nevertheless, here is this weeks recipe; ‘Everything Bagel’ Cheese Puffs.

If you have ever made a pâte à choux (choux pastry) then you know that it is actually very simple to make. I have made pâte à choux many many times before but only ever for cream puffs, profiteroles, or eclaires. I had been meaning to make their savory version, Gougères, or more commonly known as cheese puffs.

This recipe for ‘Everything Bagel’ Cheese Puffs is really simple and requires a small list of ingredients. I made a simple pâte à choux and added some grated gruyère and sharp cheddar cheese to it. You can mess around with the cheese combinations here but you don’t want to use a cheese with high moisture content (mozzarella or goat cheese) because it will add too much liquid to the dough and the choux won’t rise properly. I suggest using cheeses such a parmesan, gruyère, sharp cheddar (not regular or mild), or pecorino romano cheese. I really liked the combination of gruyère and sharp cheddar but these would also be good using one or two of any of the cheeses I just listed. All in all, you just need two ounces of a yummy cheese.

The next best part about these cheese puffs is the ‘Everything Bagel’ seasoning. I never really cared for everything bagels much of my life to be honest. Whenever buying bagels, I always went for the sweet option over the savory. Like many other things, food-wise, my preferences changed. I was so excited when I saw that Trader Joe’s had an “Everything But the Bagel Seasoning“. It’s just a pre-made seasoning using dried onion, garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and salt. I had been wanting to make my own and had this cheese puff recipe in mind for a while and when I saw this is at Trader Joe’s I just had to try it. And I must say, I am really pleased with how these ‘Everything Bagel’ Cheese Puffs turned out. If you guys want me to do a quick recipe for homemade everything bagel seasoning let me know in the comments below. However, I love being able to buy things like this because then I don’t have to spend money buying all of the individual spices!

The choux shells are light and airy, the hallmarks of any good choux pastry. The gruyère and sharp cheddar cheese give the cheese puffs a distinct flavor that pairs so perfectly with the ‘Everything Bagel Seasoning’. They are perfect for serving as appetizers (like they do in France) or honestly just to snack on.

I hope everyone enjoyed this recipe for my ‘Everything Bagel’ Cheese Puffs. If you try this recipe (or any others) let me know, I would love to hear from you and see the photos that you take! Thanks for visiting A Common Kitchen this week everyone!

-B

‘Everything Bagel’ Cheese Puffs

Makes about 24 Cheese Puffs

Ingredients:

½ Cup Water

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

½ Teaspoon Granulated White Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

½ Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Large Eggs

1 Ounce Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 Ounce Gruyére Cheese, grated

1 Egg Yolk + 1 Teaspoon Water, whisked for egg wash

3-4 Teaspoons Everything Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joe’s

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºf. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

In a medium sized saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt and heat over medium-low until the butter is fully melted. Add in all of the flour and using a wooden spoon, mix together until a ball of dough forms. Continue cooking the dough for 2-3 minutes, or until a ‘film’ starts to form on the bottom and sides of the pan. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and turn the speed to low. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing fully after each one.

With the mixer on low, add in the cheeses and mix just until combined. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a small round piping tip.

Place tiny blobs of the dough in the corners of the baking sheet underneath the parchment paper to hold it in place. Holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, apply even pressure and pipe a small amount of dough, about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about one inch in between each one. If you created any ‘peaks’ on the tops of the dough, dip a clean finger into some water and gently pat the peaks away.

Brush each puff with lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle the tops with as little or as much of the “Everything Bagel” Seasoning as you would like. I used maybe ¼ teaspoon per one.

Bake the Cheese Puffs for 10 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350ºf and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the cheese puffs are golden brown.